Premiership Cat Zach Tuohy says Geelong teammate and fellow Irishman Oisin Mullin is ready for the physicality of AFL after his shock selection for the club’s upcoming clash with the Giants.
Geelong on Thursday night pulled a surprise at the selection table, naming Mullin to make his AFL debut after just three VFL games this season where he averaged 12.3 disposals.
Mullin, the 2020 GAA Young Footballer of the Year, was one of Ireland’s most exciting young Gaelic football talents before Geelong signed him as a Category B rookie ahead of the 2022 season.
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Speaking on Fox Footy’s AFL 360 Plus, Tuohy said Mullin had “gotten a few nicknames” from Geelong teammates – including “Yosh”, “Ocean” and “Frank” – who had initially struggled to pronounce his name.
But Tuohy said his fellow countryman would be up for the challenge against the Giants on Saturday.
“He’s a well-established, top, top player back in Ireland. This is not just a young prospect that was brought out. This is a guy who was well regarded as one of the best footballers in Ireland when he left,” Tuohy told AFL 360 Plus.
“Professionalism – all those kinds of key things – he had in abundance and his physical attributes are remarkable, despite his diminutive nature, as you’ve kindly put it. He’s good to go physically.
“He’s a player.”
Tuohy and Mullin will be one of four Irishmen on the GMHBA Stadium field on Saturday, alongside Cats midfielder Mark O’Connor and Giants defender Callum Brown.
AFL 360 co-host Dermott Brereton joked “we could have one of the biggest balls-ups of all-time” if the four players were all in the vicinity of each other at some stage during the game.
Tuohy cheekily responded: “Good luck to all the commentators to predict what we’re going to do. It’s either going to be a work of art or be a Hindenburg, so we’re just going to have to wait and see.”
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Tuohy, who played a crucial role in Geelong’s 2022 premiership, is five games away from equalling Melbourne legend Jim Stynes’ record for most games played by an Irishman.
The 33-year-old said it was “a little bit embarrassing” to be mentioned in the same company as Stynes.
“I do remember early in my career the goal was to play one game. I started my career with Setanta o’Hailpin and I can remember him talking about trying to get to 100 games – for an Irish player he thought that would be remarkable,” Tuohy said.
“It’s coming on very quick. To go past Jim would be an honour, but it’s a strange one because in virtually no regard do I put myself in that sort of company.”
Tuohy was at his hilarious best during Thursday night’s interview, labelling his home county a “wonderful part of the world” – “we have a maximum-security prison, which is lovely, and there’s a lot of watering holes” – before dissing his poor recent golf form.
But the veteran knows the Cats can’t afford to underestimate the Giants this weekend.
Tuohy said while his team would like to have a better win-loss ratio, the vibe among the playing group was still positive.
“We’ve gotten to see a lot of young players, which is always a bonus, and if we can bank a few more wins in this next little period, I’ll be very bullish on what we can do in the back half of the year,” he said.
“Clearly our best is still very, very good and yes, personnel is going to help as well. If you can find a few on the way to getting your best team, then that’s obviously a good thing. But there’s certainly no panic stations in Geelong just yet.”